This invention relates, in general, to electronic devices, and more particularly to bonding a first electronic component to a second electronic component.
Some electronic devices require a physical and electrical bond between two components as is commonly done using flip-chip techniques. For example, it may be necessary to bond a glass substrate to a semiconductor device to form an optical device. One method to do this is to first form a bond bump on one component using a wire bonder. Traditionally, a wire bonder is used to form a ball with a spike structure that protrudes from one end of the ball. A conductive material, such as a conductive epoxy, is formed on the second component and then impaled by the spike to provide the physical and electrical bond between the two components.
One problem with such bonding structures is that they are not very tolerant of physical stress even if they are used in conjunction with an adhesive underfill material. Stress, either mechanical or thermal, between the two components can cause the spike to become loose from the conductive epoxy. Once the physical bond is broken, the electrical contact between the two components is lost.
By now it should be appreciated that it would be advantageous to provide a bonding structure between electronic components that has improved resistance to mechanical stress.